Qualcomm debuts a new in-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor with a much larger input area, after mixed results from its last attempt found in the Galaxy S10
Shara Tibken / CNET :
Context & Ripple Effects
Qualcomm's ultrasonic fingerprint effort is a five-year iteration loop finally correcting its first commercial stumble: after the 2015 Snapdragon Sense ID announcement and a 2017 Vivo demo under glass, metal, and water, the 3D Sonic Sensor shipped in the Galaxy S10, where hands-on coverage found the reader worked but felt underwhelming — a small target area being a core complaint. Today's debut enlarges the input area on the same sound-wave approach.
The stakes sit against a harder backdrop for Qualcomm: the company's stock fell more than 7% pre-market amid expectations that Apple-related revenue will decline faster, making flagship Android component wins like this sensor more important to the story investors hear.
First-order effects
- Samsung and other Android flagships get a much larger touch target for in-display unlock, directly addressing the small-reader criticism from the S10 hands-on reviews.
Second-order effects
- Samsung's next Galaxy generation has a ready answer to the S10's mixed reception, letting it market in-display biometrics as improved rather than merely novel — and squeezing rival in-display sensor suppliers (optical approaches) to match the larger area.
Third-order effects
- If the iteration cadence holds — Qualcomm announced a next-generation sensor in 2021 that it said was 77% larger and 50% faster — under-display ultrasound becomes the default biometric surface on premium Android phones, displacing rear and side-mounted readers entirely, and giving Qualcomm a non-modem revenue line as Apple business shrinks.
The trend: In-display fingerprint sensing is maturing from a first-attempt compromise into a primary unlock method, with Qualcomm using larger scan areas and speed gains to own the premium Android biometric slot.